He Calls Me Mommy

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a mommy. Oh, I had little girl dreams of being other things like a secretary, teacher or even the President (who wouldn't want to be in charge and run the country?), but I never lost the overwhelming desire to have babies. I will never forget the morning that I held that little white stick with the pink line which indicated that my dreams were going to come true. The home pregnancy test had said to take it first thing in the morning so I woke up REALLY early because I couldn't wait another second to find out. I remember Patrick stumbling into the bathroom to see why I was up, and there he found me with my white stick. It wasn't exactly how I had pictured telling him that he was going to be a father, but oh well, I couldn't contain my excitement. He acted pleased and then made his way back to bed. I followed him and crawled under the covers, but there was no way I could sleep. We were going to have a BABY. I was beyond thrilled.

After enduring extreme morning sickness, 9 months of pregnancy, and 40 hours of labor I'll never forget the moment I heard, "It's a boy!" When they placed that precious bundle in my arms I couldn't believe the amazing love that filled my heart. I was a Mommy! We had a child. It was truly incredible.

We gave him a name that Patrick had chosen before we even met. He loved the stories of Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, missionaries to Ecuador in the 1950s who gave their lives for Christ and motivated many to go into missions through their example. We named our precious first born son Nathanael Elliot and prayed that he would live up to his name and serve the Lord with his life.

It's hard to believe that was 9 years ago. Our precious boy has grown so quickly. He became a big brother before he was two years old and has always had a friend in his little sister. Our quiet little obedient boy grew up to demonstrate that he has a very stubborn determined side. He's a good kid though. He's helpful and polite. He's probably the quietest of the three (though none of them are really quiet), but if you get him going on one of his favorite topics, watch out. He can talk your ear off. He loves technology and can do things on the computer that amaze me. He's all about time and his watch keeps us all in line. He is definitely a mix of Brazilian and American culture. He'd be happy to eat beans and rice everyday, but heaven forbid something doesn't start at the hour it was scheduled. :) He knows a lot about the Bible and our hearts were full to overflowing this year when he accepted Christ as his personal Savior. I'm so thankful that God has placed this amazing boy in our home and lives. What a privilege I have to be his mother.

Happy Birthday to the special boy that gave me the name Mommy!